'On-the-spot courts' provide swift justice in villages

The district administrations across four districts resolved 262 long-pending revenue cases in six months through a programme dubbed "Adalat Mouka Per" (Court on the Spot).

This out-of-court settlement mechanism brought justice to villagers' doorsteps, addressing land and revenue disputes efficiently while bypassing conventional delays.

The divisional administration, recognizing the logistical and financial hurdles faced by villagers in accessing justice, launched the initiative to address revenue-related grievances directly within their communities.

By eliminating the need to travel to urban courts, the program provided a localised and expedited resolution process for cases, fostering a sense of empowerment and inclusivity among rural residents.

A senior revenue officer, speaking anonymously, shared details about the program's methodology.

"We selected petty disputes such as wrongly registered mutations, land partitions, and sale deeds executed without rightful heirs or village headmen. These cases often involved errors in land demarcations that lingered in courts for years," the official said.

The cases underwent rigorous scrutiny, with revenue officers mediating disputes. Both parties were invited to meet face-to-face in their villages, where consensus was built based on mutually agreed conditions.

Once an agreement was reached, cases were withdrawn and judgments were announced in the presence of all parties involved.

Revenue courts across the four districts resolved 101 cases in Jhang, 87 Faisalabad, 26 in Toba Tek Singh and 48 in Chiniot.

Muhammad Mian Baluch, a resident of Tehsil Shorkot, shared his experience. He had filed a dispute over a wrongly registered sale deed in 2017, which went through multiple appeals and remained unresolved for seven years.

When summoned to an open court held in his village, he was astonished to see the circle Patwari, official records, and a district attorney present—resources he seldom encountered during previous hearings.

"The entire process, which had cost me years of time and money, was settled in a single day. Both parties agreed on a common point, and the case was resolved in my favor," Baluch said.